Buenos Aires, Argentina house tour living room. Large light gray sofa, patterned rug, textiles, white walls, large windows
The Easiest Rental Upgrade You’ll Ever Make (It Changes Everything)Decorating
The often overlooked detail that makes your place a home.
Oct 14, 2025
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of NeedDecorating
We've simplified the online shopping process.
Aug 22, 2025
My Sweater Washing Method Took Years to Perfect (It’s Foolproof!)Cleaning
No shrinking or stretching!
Aug 21, 2025
How to Stop the Washing Machine from WalkingCleaning
It’s actually an easy fix.
Oct 15, 2024
8 Reasons Why Your TV Mysteriously Turns on by Itself — And How to Stop ItLife
It’s (probably) not a ghost.
Jul 18, 2024
The Most Brilliant Way to Make Your Kitchen Look Bigger and Brighter: Add a MirrorDecorating
Life’s busy. Budgets are tight. We’re always on the lookout for tiny details to add to a home that will make a disproportionately big impact — so you can get to enjoying your home to its fullest more. What’s one way you can improve a kitchen’s look and feel quickly today with a simple, slightly unexpected addition? Add a mirror. That’s right, a mirror has the almost magical capacity to add both light and depth to any room, and that includes your kitchen.
Mar 21, 2024
8 Tips to Ensure You Can Actually Enjoy Your Own Holiday PartyLife
Throw a holiday bash to remember without all the stress by using these tips from a top party planner in Beverly Hills.
Dec 1, 2023
7 Sneaky Ways to Hide the Microwave in Your KitchenHome Projects
We've come across some kitchens with some pretty ingenious solutions.
Nov 29, 2023
What to Know About the Halloween Porch Light Code
Living
It’s a time-honored tradition.
Oct 16, 2023
10 Things You Didn’t Know You Needed in Your Dream BackyardPlants & Yard
A backyard is like a blank slate: a little tiny plot of land all your own, to deal with however you please (with perhaps a little input from your homeowners’ association). What will you do with your own little estate? Here are 10 ways to make the very most of your backyard — innovative (and maybe even a little crazy) features you never knew you needed. 1. A swimming pool that looks like a pond. → Learn more about natural pools here. 2.
Oct 4, 2023
10 Famous Phrases That Don’t Mean What You Think They DoLife
Want some good fodder for your next night of pub trivia? Impress your friends with this.
Aug 30, 2023
All of Your Questions About Power Button On/Off Symbols, Answered
Living
Never question which one is “off” again.
Aug 23, 2023
8 Ways to Refresh the Look of an Existing (Old/Boring/Not You) Dining TableDecorating
You are not stuck with a dining table you don’t like, even if you can’t afford to buy a new one or have to stick with the one you have for some reason. There are things that can be done, of the DIY variety, that can spice up a dining table and add a little delight to your dining room. Peruse this list of makeover options and decide if one might fit your dining style!
Jul 27, 2023
9 Beautiful Colored Glasses Guaranteed to Make You SmileDecorating
Drinking glasses may be a standard item in any kitchen, but add some color and personality, and you'll make something so commonplace a true household treat.
Jul 7, 2023
10 Decor Ideas for That Weird Space over Your DoorwayDecorating
That strange strip of wall sandwiched between your ceiling and the top of a door frame has always been a kind of no man’s land, decor-wise. Like a tough-to-decorate, awkward corner, it’s usually not big enough for any major statement, but it’s not small enough to ignore without feeling like you’re missing an opportunity.   These above door decor ideas are sure to elevate any room in your home, whether you’re decorating on a budget or just need a quick refresh.
Jun 22, 2023
How To Trim Your Coax TV CableDecorating
Coax cableshome theater setupsThe tools and instructions will help shortened your coax cable to use without needing for the cable man. Coax cable Coax cable cutter Crimp or screw-on F-connectors Wire cutters or some strong scissors 1. Determine how long of a cable you need, and cut it with scissors. We wanted several inches, so choose six inches just to be safe and allow us to have some room for error.
May 29, 2023
How To Use an Uno Shade with a Harp & Finial LampHome Projects
Changing up a lampshade can be a quick and easy way to transform the look of a room, but finding the perfect lampshade can be a challenge. IKEA offers a wonderful selection of lampshades at reasonable prices, but they have uno fittings. Uno fittings are a large threaded ring in the middle of the fabric shades top tripod. According to Flip The Switch blog, uno fitters are commonly found on small and medium shades, and less frequently on large and over-sized shades.
May 29, 2023
Did You Know You Can Use a Tablet Stylus With the Apple MacBook?Home Projects
The Macbook Air and the Macbook Pro laptops are both known for their best in class touch pad. Accurate and smooth to the touch, nothing really compares. Love your Macbook touch pad? Find even more reasons to love it and pick up a stylus for tablet style pen input on your Mac. Pair it with a software package that takes advantage of the capacitive touch pad and stylus compatibility.
May 27, 2023
The IKEA Product That’s a Closet Secret WeaponOrganizing
We probably all dream of having a Carrie Bradshaw-style custom closet. But those things are expensive. Really, really expensive. As an alternative, there’s a trusty IKEA product that will give you the look of custom shelving, for a fraction of the price. You may have already guessed what it is. The product is called Billy: the world’s most versatile bookcase, and it turns out, makes for some pretty great storage closet as well.
May 26, 2023
15 Clever & Unusual Ways Magazine Holders Can Organize Your LifeOrganizing
Magazine holders — whether metal, cardboard, wood or some other material — aren’t just for corralling your issues of Dwell. They can keep papers and magazines neat and tidy, and hold mails, books, newspapers, documents, and files without taking up too much space on your wall or door. With so many ways magazine holders can organize your life, you can get creative and clever in just about every room of the house to make your life a little more organized.
May 26, 2023
How to Replace Your Oven LightHome Projects
If you’re an avid baker, then you probably rely on that little light in the back of your oven. The oven light helps you make sure everything is rising and browning like it should, whether you’re baking a batch of blueberry muffins or loaf of banana bread.While you may have a tried-and-true method for cleaning your oven, what about changing the oven light? Needless to say, if you’re absolutely lost when that little bulb burns out, you’re in the right place.
May 24, 2023
Small Space Solutions: 10 Ways to Turn Your Small Kitchen into an Eat-InDecorating
Are you living with a tiny kitchen? And thinking that means no space to actually eat in your kitchen? Think again! Here are a handful of ideas and products that might just make an eat-in kitchen possible for you. 1. If you are short on space, get creative on where a table and chairs might go. Why not consider creating a window seat as in the kitchen shown above, from Studio Oink via The Style Files… 2. …or quite literally making one out of a window and a couple of seats… 3.
May 3, 2023
Move Over Paris: The World’s Most Beautiful Homes are in ItalyDecorating
I have long had a bit of an obsession with Paris apartments, but now I have a new love: Italian palazzos. Besides high ceilings and gorgeous detailing, they also have a certain storied look, the beauty and character that age can bring to a grand building. Here are four Italian apartments that are not quite like any apartments you’ve seen before.
May 1, 2023
The One Simple Trick That Makes Small Spaces Feel Much, Much BiggerDecorating
“Less is more” is a time-honored design mantra, and anyone who’s ever staged a house for the market can tell you that having less furniture in a space will make it feel much bigger. But this can be easy to forget when you’re living in a small apartment.
May 1, 2023
20 Beautiful Rooms with Beni Ourain RugsDecorating
The first time I ever saw a Beni Ourain rug was in this house tour, here on Apartment Therapy. I saved the picture in Evernote with the caption: NEED THIS RUG. Then suddenly I started seeing Beni Ourain rugs all over the place. I started to wonder if I really liked them, or just thought I did because I saw them everywhere. But then there was that original picture, reminding me that it was love at first sight.
Apr 27, 2023
The Three Measurements You Need to Know When Hanging ArtworkDecorating
It seems easy enough. Grab a hook and a hammer and get to work. But there’s definitely a bit of a science to hanging artwork properly. With these three key measurements as a starting point, you can’t really go wrong. This first figure tells you that the center of your piece should be around 57 inches (or a bit more) from the floor.
Mar 31, 2023
How To Hang a Picture Frame Without Leaving a MarkDecorating
After taking a big hit to the security deposit at our last apartment because of all of the holes we left in the wall (and knowing we would only be in our current apartment for a year), we set out to find a solution that would allow us to hang some artwork and make the place feel like home without causing much (or any) wall damage.
Mar 30, 2023
How To: Create a Gallery WallDecorating
Ah, the gallery wall. So ubiquitous in shelter mags and on blogs, they’ve become a staple of modern home decor. I know several people who think the curated wall is on its way “out”, and feel that individual pieces of art never get to shine anymore. But for someone like me, who accumulates art like some people accumulate paperbacks, gallery walls aren’t just a necessity- they’re a way of life.This liking for art-stuffed walls seems to be a family trait.
Mar 30, 2023
6 Brilliant Ways to Make the Most of a Narrow BedroomDecorating
There’s small and then there is narrow. A narrow bedroom can be difficult to work with as this space traditionally calls for multiple pieces of furniture, such as nightstands on both sides of a bed and a dresser or armoire that may be difficult to squeeze in comfortably. This shape of room can also be difficult to work with design-wise as extra-long walls on two sides can feel endless and may lack visual interest.
Feb 17, 2023
13 Tips for The Sexiest Bedroom … Like EverDecorating
Mae West was famous for saying, “The best way to get over a guy is to get under a new guy.” Despite its many implications, it was a good reminder to me that amidst all the politics of dating, as an Apartment Therapist, underneath it ALL is a bed and the BEST way to catch the new person you want is to have a fantastic bedroom. Your bedroom is the clearest expression of how you are feeling about yourself right now and is bathed in your pheromones.
Jan 25, 2023
DIY Printmaking: How to Make Your Own Linocut PrintDecorating
With just a few relatively inexpensive items from your local craft shop, you can try your hand at printmaking — a fun process that begins with carving a design into linoleum, and then transferring the design onto paper. Channel your 11th grade art class and set up your own little printmaking studio at home; here’s a quick tutorial!1. Gather your materials.
Jan 2, 2023
How to Iron Your Clothes with a Hair StraightenerCleaning
Sleep is good, right? So anything you can do to get a few extra winks in the morning is going to be a good idea. For instance, you could try to combine parts of your get-ready routine to save a little time and effort. Me? I swear by this trick: Before I use it on my hair, I use my flat iron to smooth wrinkles in my shirt.I find that my hair straightener does a great job of smoothing out small creases and wrinkles from my blouses and shirts.
Jan 2, 2023
Is There a Non-Toxic Stain-Resistant Fabric Protector?Cleaning
Q: We just reupholstered our comfy sofa with an all-cotton fabric. Is there a non-toxic way to “seal” the fabric and make it more stain-resistant? I’m sure a no-eating-on-the-couch rule would help, but it’s just not realistic! My family used to use some spray that worked well, but it has a daunting ingredient list.Sent by ElissaEditor: Elissa, great job on the reupholstery! It looks like an entirely new piece of furniture.
Jan 2, 2023
How To Remove a Light FixtureHome Projects
Changing out a light fixture can be an easy, relatively quick way to update a room, and it can often make a dramatic difference. Here’s a quick guide on removing the old fixture, leaving just what you need to connect your new one. • safety glasses• circuit tester• screwdriver• step stool or ladderInstructions1. First, shut off the power at the breaker or fuse box.
Jan 2, 2023
10 iPhone Email and Texting Tricks You Probably Don’t KnowLife
The really cool thing about smartphones is how updates can happen right under your nose. Sure, you notice the big stuff, like when iOS 6 replaced Google Maps with Apple Maps. But there’s always little changes happening underneath, too.Here’s a list of 10 minor features that have been built in to the iPhone text and email user experience; some we’ve seen, some we’ve read and some we’ve noticed on our own.
Nov 14, 2022
6 Tips to Make Your Living Room More Like a TheaterHome Projects
Living in the city has it’s advantages—none of which are awesome McMansions with pre-fab home theater spaces. But if you’re a movie buff, you can still fake that luxe home theater look. All you need to do is take on a few quick fixes in your living room.Get the theater vibe by painting your room with dark colors, like burgundy or navy blue. As a bonus, the images on your screen will look better because the light won’t reflect off your new dark walls.
Nov 10, 2022
Troubleshoot a Fuzzy or Blurry Picture on Your TVHome Projects
Our bedroom TV has been in need of a little upgrade for several years now, so we’re using the excuse of hosting a Super Bowl party to finally take the plunge. We’ll grab a new, compact HDTV for the bedroom—but first, it will pay its dues by supporting a sports-bar-style 2-TV setup in our separated living space. Stoked? Sure, but we know that we’ll have to troubleshoot a few things to make sure we’re getting the best image from our new TV.
Nov 3, 2022
The 9 Best Kitchen Updates You CAN Do (When You Can’t Renovate Your Rental)Organizing
Whether you’re renting and can’t do a lot of permanent damage, or even if you own a house but just don’t have a budget to tear everything out and start from scratch, you can still make impactful changes and additions that will make your kitchen quite a bit nicer to look at (and nicer to use, too) without a reno.
Nov 2, 2022
Never Want to Leave: 10 Tips for Making Your Home the Most Inviting YetLife
Having a home that is inviting — that beckons to visitors and lingers in the minds of guests — makes for both an enjoyable and memorable place. And there’s a bonus benefit to creating a home that is inviting to guests: it’s often more inviting to you, too! We’ve got ten tips to try that will help you craft a home that welcomes everyone who walks through its doors — though, warning, it may make them never want to leave!
Oct 27, 2022
The Great Toddler Bed DebateDecorating
One of the enduring debates among our readers is whether to transition a child from their crib to a toddler-size bed or go straight to a twin bed (or bigger). It’s a decision most parents will make at one time or another, and there is a multitude of competing factors to consider. This debate has come up time and again on Apartment Therapy, with hundreds of comments on the topic.
Oct 19, 2022
12 Steps to Deep Clean the BedroomDecorating
We’ve mentioned a bedroom cleanup before as a good weekend project, but since we are planning to do it ourselves tomorrow, we put together a checklist (that always seems to make the job go faster for us). After “cleansing” our closet, we think we can definitely knock out a bedroom deep clean in a few hours. These 12 simple steps will get your bedroom clean and comfy in no time!
Oct 17, 2022
Best Small Toilets: Toto, Kohler, Duravit & 3 MoreDecorating
Bring on the small, yet powerful, toilets that allow you to save space and still sit down in style. Oh, and yes, you will also save lots of water as well! When I started doing this list nearly ten years ago, this was a novel category. It is no longer. Our reader favorites continue to be these brands: Toto, Duravit and Kohler, and while there’s still debate about the higher prices for these toilets and problems with “streaking” they seem to be generally winning people over.
Oct 15, 2022
11 Useful Home Hacks for Basic Zip TiesHome Projects
Zip ties are just one of those things that seem to have an infinite amount of uses. Obviously, they’re good for tying groups of things together, but that can mean so many things. Once you read these 11 uses for zip ties, you’re probably going to want to buy a huge stash to have on hand. You know how your shower drain only gets clogged on Monday mornings when you’re already running late for a meeting and didn’t shower all weekend?
Oct 14, 2022
10 Stylish Color Schemes to Inspire Your New SpaceDecorating
One of the trickiest things about decorating a new space is picking out colors. So I’ve selected ten rooms that get color right, in hopes that one of them will catch your eye. Get ready for some serious inspiration. Above: the soft blues and greys of this space, from Woman Magazine, get just the right dose of warmth from a Beni Ourain rug and a pair of wooden side tables. This joyful combination of colors reads as less than riotous because it’s set against a white background.
Oct 14, 2022
Will the Real Jenny Lind Please Stand Up?Decorating
Jenny Lind cribs and beds are a classic in children’s rooms (even modern ones) and we’ve seen a host of them on Apartment Therapy. Jenny Lind is often mistaken to be a company or a brand, but it’s neither. It’s simply a style of furniture distinguished by turned posts or what we call spindles. So, just who was Jenny Lind and why is our furniture still named after her?
Oct 14, 2022
Home Sweet Home: Simple Ways to Make Your Kitchen CozierDecorating
The kitchen is often the hub of a home, but it can also tend to feel like a stark, cold space (tile floors and an abundance of stainless steel appliances will do that). Luckily, there are some design tricks to warm up the room, while still keeping this area devoted to cooking and eating clean and healthy. With a few design details and accents that add personality, you can inject the entire room with warmth.
Oct 14, 2022
Take the Weight Off: 5 DIY Tricks to Make a Heavy Furniture Piece Look LighterHome Projects
Do you have a piece of furniture in your home you love, but it’s just a little too “heavy?” We don’t mean weight-wise (though certainly, it could be heavy that way, too). We mean, visually heavy. A piece that feels like it takes up too much room. Like it knocks off the visual balance of a space. Here are five of the best tricks to visually lighten up a heavy furniture piece and still make it look great.
Oct 14, 2022
How To: Make an Ottoman SlipcoverHome Projects
www.apartmenttherapy.com chicago how-to how-to-make-an-ottoman-slipcover--085993> click thumbnails for larger picsProject: Ottoman SlipcoverTime: 2 1/2 hoursCost: $20.00 excluding extra set of legs No question about it, the little straw ottoman is already as cute as can be. It can however, go to work for you doing double, or even triple duty with help from a slipcover and a change of legs.
Oct 13, 2022
10 Things We Wish We Had in Our Kitchens for this ThanksgivingDecorating
While we may love our kitchens 364 days out of the year (and we don’t mean to sound un-thankful), there’s nothing like the biggest feast of 2016 to suddenly make them seem utterly inadequate. There’s not nearly enough counter space, our tiny sinks fit approximately two dishes, and we consider ourselves lucky if our minuscule ovens have enough room to roast a turkey.
Oct 13, 2022
Black and White and Gold in the BathroomDecorating
Black and white and gold is a striking color combination, and nowhere is that more true than in the bathroom. Gold fixtures in the bathroom is a look we’re seeing more and more of, and paired with a black and white color scheme, they add a pleasing bit of drama to a humble space. Above: A black ceiling, black door, and encaustic tile floor add delicious drama to a bathroom spotted on Desire to Inspire. A black bathroom with white and gold accents from Godrich Interiors.
Oct 12, 2022
How To Turn Your City Apartment Into a Cozy Ski Chalet in 7 Easy StepsDecorating
Full disclosure: I’ve never been skiing, or snowboarding, or so much as stepped foot on a snow-covered mountain range. But I’ve seen “Force Majeure” and have taken a virtual tour of Aerin Lauder’s Aspen home, which basically qualifies me as a pseudo expert on the après-ski aesthetic. To get the look (without actually hitting the slopes), here are some cozy ways to work ski style into your apartment that won’t look totally out of place.
Oct 12, 2022
Great DIY Desks with IKEA Countertops and LegsHome Projects
This is a pearl of wisdom that I received years ago and wanted to bring back right now. When in need of a really simple, nice, natural material desk, use IKEA butcherblock countertop (which is cuttable, sandable, stainable and paintable) and some cool legs (like the Vika Inge style seen here, which has been replaced with Vika Runtorp).
Oct 12, 2022
5 Bold Pieces That Will Instantly Amp Up Your StyleDecorating
Perhaps you’ve been playing it safe, decor-wise, your whole life, and are ready to do something wild. Or perhaps you have a room that you feel is finished, but you’re still just a little bit bored with it. Either way, here are five different pieces that will take your space to the next level, that will have your friends (and yourself) convinced that you are a person of taste, refinement and aesthetic derring-do.
Oct 12, 2022
Eames Knock Offs, Fakes & CopiesDecorating
This is the real thing and I love it – an Eames LCW from Herman MillerLately, I’ve been seeing more not-so-bad knock offs of some classic designs.
Oct 12, 2022
Setting Up a Glamorous Home Bar: Ideas from Real Life HomesDecorating
The popularity of cocktails is on the rise, and the home bar is making a comeback in the American home. But even if you’re not lucky enough to have a wet bar, you can still set up a dedicated space for mixing drinks, no matter the size of your home. Read on for plenty of ideas from our tours. Above: Marina has a fairly impressive collection of liquor that lives on the kitchen countertop in her New York apartment.
Oct 12, 2022
Sex and the Sixties: Verner Panton’s Pop FantasiaTours
Verner Panton is known as the ‘enfant terrible’ of Danish design. Breaking away from the airy neutrals of typical Scandinavian design, Panton worked in Pop colors, simple geometries, and trippy organic shapes. His work is perfectly of its time — sexy, informal, tongue-in-cheek, space-age, and bold — while still feeling totally current today. Let’s step into his environment and feel our way around his oeuvre.
Oct 12, 2022
Test Run: Does Tibet Almond Stick Work on Dark Wood?Home Projects
We’ve raved about Tibet Almond Stick before — in fact, I first bought one after Maxwell posted about them in 2006. Until now though, I’ve always used mine on lighter wood, like oak. Yesterday, annoyed at all the scratches that have appeared on my dark finish coffee table, I decided to see if, as promised, the renowned stick could get them out, too . . .The Almond Stick is actually a cotton roll soaked in a “secret family formula.
Oct 11, 2022